Hotels.com Reports Brits Resent Paying for Hotel Extras

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Sep 24, 2010, 01:22 ET

LONDON, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotels.com has revealed new research* that shows British travellers resent having to pay for hotel extras.

Topping the list of pet peeves among travellers is having to pay to use Wi-Fi in a hotel. Three quarters (78%) of the 1,815 people surveyed resent having to pay for wireless internet, believing it should be free.

Car parking spaces are viewed as the second most unacceptable extra among nearly three out of four UK travellers (73%) along with paying for a newspaper in the morning (57%).

Bottled water was in the top three list of the things travellers hate paying extra for; 70% of those surveyed said they dislike having to pay for bottles of water left in rooms.

The economic downturn is clearly making cost conscious Brits think twice before reaching for a cold drink in their room. Three quarters of those surveyed (74%) deliberately steer clear of mini-bars preferring to buy drinks and snacks outside the hotel for their room. In fact, 80% of Brits said they feel ripped off by mini bar costs.

Travellers are so wary of extras at hotels, that more than half (56%) will question their bills at check-out.

Top five least wanted hotel extra charges are: Wi-Fi, car parking, bottled water, towels at the gym and toiletries.

Alison Couper, Director of Communications, Hotels.com, comments: "Our research shows UK travellers are becoming increasingly savvy at making their holiday money go further and hotel extras can really add up. It is always wise to check what is included in the rate as there are often great promotions to be enjoyed if you shop around. Sites like ours are currently offering fantastic deals on thousands of hotels around the world so there has never been a better time to make your money go further."

Notes to editors

*Research conducted amongst 1815 travellers worldwide between 21st July - 11th August 2010.

About Hotels.com

As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets, Hotels.com offers more than 120,000 quality hotels, B&Bs and serviced apartments worldwide including hotels in New York, Chicago hotels, San Diego hotels and hotels in LA. If a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating the best rates for its customers, plus there are 1.8m reviews from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers make an informed choice when booking. Hotels.com has recently launched its Welcome Rewards customer loyalty programme in the UK, where customers can earn a free night for every ten nights stayed (subject to Welcome Rewards terms and conditions). Hotels.com won the Gold Award for best hotel booking site in Webuser magazine in February 2009. Travellers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centres on 0871 200 0171.